And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. (Mark 13:10)
Growing up in the 1980s was awesome! We had cool video games, mind-boggling cube puzzles, leg warmers, big hair, and Star Wars. We Christian kids also had Petra, spiritual thriller novels, and a paralyzing fear of “the rapture.”
When I was twelve, an earthquake measuring 4.0 on Richter’s magnitude scale shook my home. I had never experienced an earthquake tremor before and didn’t know this one was “mild.” When the rumble occurred (at 10:30 p.m.), I bolted out of bed, rushed to the window, and strained my ears, listening for the sound of trumpets. I was certain Jesus must be returning! When the house grew quiet, I snuck downstairs and checked to see if my parents were still in their room. What if they had been “raptured” to heaven—miraculously taken out of this earth before the great tribulation (a seven-year period of global chaos and destruction dominated by the terrifying “Antichrist”)—and I had been left behind?
Natural disasters, wars, and the moral decline of society are frequently touted as surefire omens of Christ’s imminent return. However, Jesus gave only one explicit sign: the complete spread of the gospel to all people groups on earth. The clearest indicator of Christ’s coming isn’t frightful news at all; it’s good news! And with recent advancements in global communications, we may want to strain our ears—again—for the sound of trumpets.
List at least three specific ways you can personally advance the gospel.
Laura Hurd is an ordained minister in The Wesleyan Church and holds a master’s degree from Wesley Seminary. She co-pastors with her husband, Jason, in rural Nebraska.
© 2020 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
